We propose and numerically analyze a PDE model of ant foraging behavior. Ant foraging is a prime example of individuals following simple behavioral rules based on local information producing complex, organized and ``intelligent'' strategies at the population level. One of its main aspects is the widespread use of pheromones, which are chemical compounds laid by the ants used to attract other ants to a food source. In this work, we consider a continuous description of a population of ants and simulate numerically the foraging behavior using a system of PDEs of chemotaxis type. We show that, numerically, this system accurately reproduces observed foraging behavior, such as trail formation and efficient removal of food sources.
@article{arxiv.1402.5611,
title = {A continuous model of ant foraging with pheromones and trail formation},
author = {Paulo Amorim},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1402.5611},
year = {2014}
}